CNN and other media outlets are reporting that the CDC is advising the public not to cruise, even if you’re vaccinated.
“The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday increased the risk level for cruise ship travel to its highest level and said it should be avoided, regardless of vaccination status.
The agency bumped up the travel risk level for cruise travel from Level 3 to Level 4, indicating the risk for Covid-19 is “very high.”
The move “reflects increases in cases onboard cruise ships since identification of the Omicron variant,” the CDC website says.
“Since the identification of the Omicron variant, there has been an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases among cruise passengers and crew reported to CDC. Additionally, there has been an increase in the number of cruise ships meeting the COVID-19 case threshold for CDC investigation,” the agency said.
In addition to including cruise travel in its wider list of travel advisories looking at countries worldwide, the agency has created a color status classification for cruise ships.
On December 30, the agency listed 91 ships in its yellow category that indicates that the volume of Covid cases reported has met the CDC’s threshold for investigation. That’s five more ships than were listed as yellow on December 28. On December 30, no ships were listed as red, which indicates that reported cases are at or above the threshold for investigation.
Three ships were listed as orange on December 30, indicating that reported cases are below the CDC’s threshold for investigation. Sixteen ships were listed as green, meaning that the ships had no reported cases of Covid-19.
Green, orange, yellow and red designations indicate a ship’s Covid situation from best to worst. A gray designation is reserved for ships that the CDC has not reviewed for Covid safety.
Decision is ‘perplexing,’ industry association says
Cruise Lines International Association, a trade association, expressed disappointment at the CDC’s elevated risk level.
“The decision by the CDC to raise the travel level for cruise is particularly perplexing considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard — far fewer than on land — and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore,” CLIA said in a statement.”
It’s a shame that the CDC doesn’t understand that cruising is safer than going to a movie theater, an amusement park or going to WalMart. I will always cruise!
Click on the link below for the full story mentioned in this blog post:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cdc-cruise-travel-risk-level/index.html
